Honda and Continental Win 2016 Automotive News PACE Innovation Award

Honda R&D Americas and international automotive supplier Continental were honored with a 2016 Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Innovation Partnership Award for their collaborative development of the Bidirectional Long Range Communications (BLRC) System.

Continental and Honda received the Innovation Partnership Award at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center in Detroit during the annual PACE Awards ceremony on Monday, April 11, 2016. This marks Honda’s second consecutive Innovation Partnership Award, and the automaker’s eighth consecutive year as an awards finalist, with the BLRC being nominated as a 2016 PACE Awards program finalist.

“We are proud the PACE Awards judges have chosen our collaboration with Honda for this prestigious recognition,” said Continental President Jeff Klei. “Our close partnership fostered the development of innovative solutions to the challenges of providing safe and reliable bidirectional communication across significant distances, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and enabling OEM differentiation.”

“Building a successful partnership like the one forged with Continental does not happen overnight,” said Honda R&D Americas, Inc President Frank Paluch. “It takes time, trust, teamwork and a singular goal – to deliver a product that provides great value to our customers. It is an honor to be recognized by the PACE award committee for this innovative collaboration.”

The BLRC System allows drivers to use a remote control key fob to start their vehicle’s engine and activate climate controls from up to 600 meters away (or a third of a mile). Continental and Honda worked together to develop the innovative system, which made its market debut on the Acura MDX in 2013, and was added to the TLX and RLX the following year. In 2015, the BLRC System expanded to the full Acura lineup.

Continental won two PACE Awards last year for its Bare Die High-Density-Interconnect (BD-HDI) Printed Circuit Board Substrate Technology for Transmission Electronics and its Multi-application Unified Sensor Element (MUSE), and an Innovation Partnership Award for its work with Audi AG.

Mary Crothers is the Internet Specialist at Basney Honda. She is a mother of 2 children with 4 grandkids. She also loves to travel and dance. She goes camping with her family in their RV along with her Golden Retriever puppy.